The whole thing strikes me as illustrative of how down-the-rabbit-hole church ministry has become. Take, for instance …

– A 72-year-old lifer who wants to keep working. Guys ten years younger in France would riot to get the pink slip and a cushy retirement.

– Of course, the words of the Mass rather overshadow some occasions of sexual shenanigans or financial mismanagement in terms of importance, at least according to the moral standards of most lay people.

– The guy who likes to play a little loose with the liturgical rules cites a three-month moratorium from canon law to thwart his bishop.

– A bishop who seems to be holding tight to the new Roman Missal waits several months before accepting a resignation. If the words really are of prime importance, you’d think he’d have had time to get another priest into the parish on six weeks’ notice.

The Catholic Church: an almost crazy avoidance of confrontation, and then when we do it, we really mess it up.

One Response to Enter The Rabbit Hole

“With this statement you can show your faithfulness to church law,” Rowe wrote. “But it will also be a great pastoral opportunity to show your appreciation of the many voices of your faithful in the diocese and of your efforts to deal with the serious shortage of priests.”– from the RNS story.

Yeah, that “faithfulness to church law” quip will go over well. Fr. Rowe has already put a bull’s-eye on his chest for removal from the pastorate under other canons other than those concerning retirement. A sly public insult to his bishop is not going to help. The more I read from Fr. Rowe, the more this seems like “suicide by cop.”

about Todd Flowerday

A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual life in a midwestern university parish.

about John Donaghy

John is a lay missionary since 2007 with a parish in western Honduras. Before that he served in campus ministry and social justice ministry in Iowa. His ministry blog is http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com

He also blogs reflections on the lectionary and saints/heroes/events of the date at http://walktheway.wordpress.com

He'll be a long-term contributor here analyzing the Latin American bishops' document from their 2007 Aparecida Conference.